Medal of Honor Block Party

October 5, 2012 at 3:10 PM HST - Updated June 28 at 3:57 AM

HONOLULU - (HawaiiNewsNow) - Dozens of Medal of Honor recipients will join the public in rocking out with Gary Sinise and his Lt. Dan Band during a block party on Friday, Oct. 5. The block party, which coincides with the monthly First Friday, runs from 5 to 10 p.m. in downtown Honolulu, on Nimitz Highway between Smith Street and Nuuanu Avenue. The event is free and open to the public.

The Block Party is one of several public events taking place throughout Honolulu as part of the 2012 Medal of Honor Convention, which runs through Saturday and hosts more than 50 of the 81 living Medal of Honor recipients.

Sinise, who earned an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of the character Lieutenant Dan in the 1994 movie "Forrest Gump," began the Lt. Dan Band in the early 2000s. In partnership with the USO, he tours military installations worldwide and plays concerts for service members and their families.

"This is a great opportunity for the public to come out, enjoy some great music and mingle with our nation's most esteemed heroes," said retired U.S. Navy Admiral and former Pacific Commander Thomas Fargo, co-chairman of the convention's host committee.

The Medal of Honor Society gathers each year to reunite living members as they continue their legacy of inspiring our youth, honoring patriots and exemplary citizens, and memorializing those recipients who have passed. Honolulu is the proud host for the 2012 Convention. The Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor that can be bestowed upon a member of the U.S. Armed Forces. Over the past 151 years, fewer than 3,500 recipients have been awarded the Medal. Only 81 living recipients remain today, including two from Hawaii.